Moses

Moses, a major prophet of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, lived around 1,500 B.C. during the reign of Pharaohs Rameses II in Egypt. He led the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery. Moses lived a remarkable life from day one, born of Hebrew slave parents but surviving Pharoah's decree to kill all male Hebrew infant. He would be discovered and adopted by Pharaoh's daughter while floating in a basket in the Nile river, to become a prince of Egypt. Raised in the Egyptian royal court, he acquired power and influence, yet was aware of his Hebrew heritage. This awareness led to a pivotal moment when he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. Fearing Pharaoh's wrath, Moses fled Egypt to save his life. While in exile, Moses encountered God in a burning bush, who commanded him to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of slavery. While Moses was successful in leading his people out of Egypt, God did not permit him to finally enter the Promised Land due to an act of disobedience. While Moses was God's tool to lead His chosen people, he was confronted by numerous personal failures in his life including: 1.) Killing the Egyptian for beating a Hebrew slave, 2.) Reluctance to lead because of his lack of eloquence, 3.) Striking the rock twice our of lack of faith to produce water, 4.) Breaking the first rock tablets of the ten commandments in anger, 5.)Poor management skills in handling interpersonal conflicts among the Israelites, and 6.) Questioning God's power often demonstrating his lack of faith. Note: If God could utilize such a weak character as Moses 3,500 years ago to play such a dominant role in God's plan for the Israelites, might that mean there is hope for us to play a significant role in the Christian Story today?